Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Pointing the tail out for the first time

I am finished attaching the tail feathers and here is the result:



This would not have been possible without these home made tools:


These are "washer chasers" indispensable to push the washers into place on rudder and stabilator. I used scrap Al from the build and a dremel tool, takes 5 minutes to make... Priceless! You just attach the washer with Scotch tape at the bottom, avoiding to obstruct the hole.

Monday, June 24, 2013

The guy who helped me conquer the stabilator

This is Dan Kangas, a fellow RV-12 builder who is very good at chasing washers!


The issue we had is one of the most frustrating among all the RV-12 challenges. We are supposed to glue the four washers against which the two stabilator pivots will be pressed once bolted. This is a nightmare when one pivot end hits the washer before being fully engaged as the washer will just fall which is what happened to us. Dan had the smarts of making a tool (with aluminum scrap) that helped push back the loose washer in place. As there is practically no visibility to check the washer alignment, he sacrificed an AN4-12 bolt (I did not mind as it's coming from his kit!) by grinding the end into a conical shape which helped complete the alignment.
A good day at the hangar!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Out and In and Out = Trip to the Airport Hangar

We don't need long explanations, the pictures speak by themselves:






The name of the new place: KLHZ or Triangle North Executive Airport

Friday, June 7, 2013

Last trip to my workshop...

This is the end of my building phase, time to think about flying now.